Craving More: Finding Fulfillment in the Bread of Life - 3TC Podcast - Garrett Worner

In this episode, Pastor Garrett Worner gets real about something we all wrestle with—why do we still feel empty when we seem to have so much? Drawing from John 6, Pastor Garrett talks about the Israelites in the wilderness and how their hunger mirrors our own cravings for more—more stuff, more success, more variety.

But Jesus offers something so much deeper.

Through a powerful and personal message, Pastor Garrett unpacks what it means when Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” He reminds us that true satisfaction doesn’t come from what we have—it comes from who we trust. If you’ve ever felt like something’s missing, this episode is for you. It's an honest invitation to come to Jesus for real, lasting fulfillment.

Welcome to Three Timbers Church! We are so glad you found us online and encourage you to explore all there is to learn about our church located in beautiful Bennington, Nebraska. When you come to Three Timbers, you can come as you are to experience the love of Jesus through the people of God. ​

Whether young or old, single or married, new to church, or a lifelong attendee, there's a place for you here. We invite you to join us toward a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. Our goal is to share the passion, power, and presence of Jesus with others. We believe in supporting families through service, education, and loving one another as Jesus loves us, unconditionally.

Transcript

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Welcome to the three timbers podcast. We hope this will encourage and uplift you today. Yes, Father God, thank you so much for bringing us all together every day of worship and praise your name, Lord. God is asking to open up our hearts, open up our ears to hear you, Lord, we know you Lord. We know you have something to say, God, and speak to us, please, Father God has asked you to get out of the way. Uh, excuse me, as your instrument, Lord. And so it's not my words every Sunday verse, Father God, thank you again for learning amazing day. It's Your Son's name. Amen, yes, Bibles open it up to John chapter three. We're going to be in John three today. And don't worry about your Bibles. We're going to need the candy this morning. No as well, too. And I started out with a story because I had some friends a long time ago. They're not missionaries. Long time ago. They're not missionaries down in Miami. We were like, we were having a small group together, and they were telling us that their kids, come on, complaining and complaining and complaining about what they were gonna have to do so as you're not gonna like, stop too much of it. Not enough about it. They didn't like it. It wasn't the right temperature, you didn't they were complaining about it. So finally, one little terror was the mom got fed up, and she said, we don't have any I'm not cooking dinner the rest of the week. That's it. She went over your grandparents house and got a little blood sugar. Anybody good? I have not been good. Not been good, but you want butter and cheating kids, every single night of the rest of them, they turn their own butter. Also made them cook their own bread. So for dinner, every single night for a week, they have bread and butter and water and water and water. That's all they had COVID. I'm sure they still complained, but they might have thought twice after that everything about this point. Oh, red water. Come on, you can survive bread and water. Oh, that's kind of like the Israelites. I am light of Israelites when I wrote this, because what did they do? God's children, this amazing, amazing, amazing deliverance took them out of Egypt when these miracles brought them up. Brought them across to the Red Sea, opened up the Red Sea for them, had to go across the Red Sea, and solid rock dumped the Red Sea to happen in Egyptians us, and they're excited. They were excited. They were cleansing God. They were dancing. They're going to promise land finally. But what's on the other side of the Red Sea? Wilderness, right? Wilderness. With that freedom came scarcity. That wilderness was barely there wasn't enough water. There wasn't a large enough body of water, drinking water for that many people, and that was outside. There wasn't that much animals to be able to feed them all. There wasn't even a limitation to feed them all. And so what happens when we don't have food anymore, we get thirsty, we get hungry in the world. So God said, You know what? I'll take care of this. He hears a man from heaven, and he will let by the way, anybody know what? Man What is it? What is it that's right, and they get old and disappointed. They're so discouraged by the conditions and of the food that they complain against God and they complain to Moses. When you were slaves back there were at least, yeah, why don't you bring us out to the small industry and could have killed us back in Egypt. Instead, you could have killed us there. Why didn't you kill us here at the moments and on and on and on and complaining goes, they've added to the bread and water. Ask, ask yourself. They wanted more. They wanted more. Food. They wanted more water, at least, they wanted more variety. And I don't want any of us, just like those ancient Israelites. We don't want more we want more stuff. We want more variety. We want more choices. We want to go to a restaurant and get better have chicken on them than your not just chicken on them, and not just chicken, though. I better be able to get that chicken deep back. I gotta chickens. I want a burger, and we're not gonna give us some salads. In case you don't have people in trouble, I guess I want a salad. They're gonna have all this variety, and that's just food. What about our houses? That many 100 years ago, the average size of a house was 1200 square foot, two bedrooms, one bathroom, no garage. Now the average size is old, triple bad guys, five bedrooms, certain bathrooms, three car garage. Oh, but I started off, every child needs your own bathroom. Every child needs your own bathroom. They gotta have a plane room, right? We need the man cave. We need the bar. We need the play center. We need the pool. Oh, you need entertainment. I gotta have all the entertainment in the world. I gotta get only entertainment in the world. I gotta get more on vacation. I need the bill. I need more stuff, more stuff. We want more and more and more. And we want stuff that's not good for us, fat, food. Right? I want to deep fat dragon. I have to sugary stuff. I want to sit in front of TV or my computer. I want to fill up my body. I want to fill out our stomachs, houses, our lives, which is stuff as if that I can satisfy us. I don't know about you guys, I have this problem a lot, especially later at night. I go to the kitchen, I open up the refrigerator, I look inside. That's what I want to put in the cupboard. Look inside. That's not what I want to put in the refrigerator. But inside the right like a change. Finally, I'm like, You know what? I think I want something, no, that wasn't it. No, I want something. No, that wasn't I mean, the leftovers, no, that wasn't it. I just keep on looking for more and more. It doesn't mean dissing. Satisfied. This makes me feel guilty when we're eating right before I go to bed. Has ever built you feel like there is a believe inside of you that needs to be filled. Guys hanging from a lot of hell in there so many years, so many years. Why do you all know my testimony? You know I walked away from Jesus when I was in high school. Of course, I still claim that as a Christian, you ask me, I said, Yes, I believe that even the demons believe using God as to get out of hell, work hard, rubbing a genie in the land. Died with this guy, with this filling with stuff, chasing girls, chasing alcohol, chasing drugs, chasing parties, chasing friends. And I was an Alice. Then I go to New York. Did it change? No, just, just chase it, trying to fill it all, trying to fill that whole void. Then I moved to Nebraska, and it changes a little bit, but now I want to build a house. Just keep trying to fill this. Fill this emptiness that was inside you. Then I figured I realized that Jesus brought it to me that my hunger was not more fulfilled well filled my stomach or cluttered up my life even more my hunger was from my spirit. That's where that emptiness is coming from, as our spirit has and that's what Jesus is preaching here, what he's teaching us in Matthew six couple stories before this, before we get into where you need to know where we are in the context. This is where Jesus just fed the honey house. Little side note, three guys too, 9000 for this what it counts for not giving the children 110,000, 15,000 14,000 that's the point. The point is, it was time. How many days away? How many fish? And they had their fill. They were filled. Their bellies were full. I missed their strong passes. Like the Lord. They were filled. They were excited. They were like, just as huge as we were. Here we are king. He'll keep our bellies full. Make Jesus can't make Jesus me some kind of king. Jesus came here to be so he just like he lacks. He had to get away from it. He they had him in the king so they can fill so he can fill there with food, physical food, anywhere, anytime, as much as they want it. And Jesus is like, that's not what I'm here for, guys. So then the next story is the disciples rolled across the lake by the sea. Jesus walks across the heat on the other side, and that's what we're opening up our message here, John, chapter six, verse 24 Jesus spells it out once the choir realize that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there. They got into a boat and went to capona in search of Jesus, and when they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, Wow, where did you get And Jesus answered very truly, I tell him you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs of your Lord, but because you ate the loaves and had your family. Do not work for food that spoils, but for the food that endures your eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you for I live God, the Father has placed a seal over Jesus, looking for a messiah. That's then they ask them, Well, what must we do to do the works God requires? How many times which is good enough? What can we do? What works can we do to go to heaven? Right? And Jesus answered, The Word of God is this to believe in the one he has set and destroyed? They're not satisfied, so they ask them, What sign then will you give that we may seek and believe? What will you do? Our ancestors gave the man unwillingness, as it is written, He gave them bread for heaven to eat. What just happened to you? Before their bellies were filled and find loaves of Jewish they saw the miracle. And while more, just like their ancestors going through the Red Sea, they already saw, will this God provide for us? And Jesus said, Very truly, I tell you, it is not Moses who has given me to pray for heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Certainly said, always give us this bread. And the Judas declared, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go under, and whoever believes in me will never be pursued. But as I told you you have seen and still not, do not believe, almost the thought that gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away, for I am no heaven from heaven, not to do my will, but do the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall raise them up at the last day. For my Father's Will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. And I will raise the law at the last day hear that again, for my Father's Will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. But Jesus is saying, again, offer you the bread from your stones. But it's my father in heaven who gives you the true it's never going to be. In fact, he says, I am the bread. I am that life you're looking for. I'm the never feel that going for you as Jesus came to earth from God to satisfy our deep spiritual hunger and thirst. Jesus. Came down when we eat and drink and pay what he offers, we will have to look no further for our satisfaction. You know what I'm talking about, right? You felt that relentless like emptiness in your spirit before having trouble. You felt out of place, maybe dissatisfied, lonely, empty. Had experiences of trying to find peace and wholeness on your own, becoming an empty time and time again. I've been there, guys. I know that feeling. That's why Jesus invites us to trust him. That's why Jesus proclaims to be the bread of life in the living water, Jesus alone will fulfill that restless journey for the bread that satisfies cuz we want we love bread. Bucha doesn't like bread. I mean, even those who are intolerant gluten people, I know you're intelligent gluten, they're looking for substitutes to bread, right? We're always looking for bread. There's nothing quite like it. Actually, a couple of years ago, when we got called here to three timbers were in charge of mission trip down to Miami, and so we were back, and we went to the homeless shelter, and were feeding the homes. And they had a paper hooked up, and then me, they had to go. They had a vegetable salad, they had beverages, they had a dessert. They were looking at those who like we eat afterwards with it was amazing. But during it, there was a one of the residents of the facility, and you go on to the missionaries, where are the rolls? We got the rolls, right? There's like one leg. It sustains us. It builds it up, because, as a homeless person, we do and even later, and he didn't get better with him, and he could share with his friends. See, we need bread and we need water. We will but this guy's great. Lauren and I took the high schoolers down to Kentucky around years ago, Kentucky, in the beginning of August, I got Nebraska. Oh my goodness, guys, it was so hot to me. You remember it was so hot? It was over 100 degree student that's totally single leg that is the only place I have ever been or that hotter at night than it was during the day. And we're looking for something that we're laying on the floor of only one little robots during the dish, just to get cold. Isn't it cool? We're sucking up in a room. And by the way, because my schoolers, they just, it was amazing what they did, but they challenged us that they didn't figure it out, and they were done. But we're studying this whole and again, flooded. That's reason why we're working on it sort of all moldy, dry oil and insulation, very little error that it's hot. They were trying to bring all this stuff up, and we started to give them a big cooler of ice water. Well, even in that cooler, way to get water, we filled all our Olson. It was like, that doesn't satisfy that doesn't want to burst, right? It fell off the boat. Get water. We're just searching for it. We're long for it. We're thirsty. Jesus Christ, not just bodily desires, does it's a deep spiritual but this is why Jesus offers himself as the prayer of life and a living water. Because guys, when we put our trust in Jesus, we can we get to survive. We can thrive. We can thrive with just bread and water. And I think what this message is teaching us this morning is that we are all invited to trust in the God who took on human flesh. He came to earth, He healed people, he suffered, he died, he rose again. Now we all need to trust in Jesus gift. We really want that lasting fulfillment and satisfaction in our lives, because I know almost only all know this, but maybe there's a year that needs to hear it. We all have a true. This to make in life, there's one choice. Do we want to live forever? Try to just imagine forever? Win, win for a second. Yes, 100 years seems like a long time. 2000 years ago, when Jesus here seems like an eternity, there wasn't times two times or if I choose infinity, our our spirits are ready for eternity. Are you going to choose it to live with God for eternity? Are you going to choose it to live without God for eternity? Are you going to choose it to live in for eternity with a God who loves? Who is life? Who is in life, who is goodness, who is happiness, who is joy, who is peace, or without him, which is the complete opposite, death, decay, chaos, mourning, loss, sickness. I'm not trying to scare anybody to take anything here. I'm just laying down the fact. Down the facts. We need to preach the truth. And the truth is you got a choice. Trust Jesus, only he can tell us, only Jesus is another. Jesus is enough. As we put our trust in Jesus, we don't just simply survive, we thrive faith and hope and peace and joy and food and drink enough to share with everyone who needs it, who trust in Jesus Christ? I just wonder if there's anybody here online who's never had that opportunity to say yes to Jesus. Has he spoken to anybody here this morning? Are you dying to thirst? Is there a void that just cannot be filled? The amazing thing is, is that the scripture says that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Guys you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, it will weave in your heart that he was raised from the dead and will be saved you. And there you give eternity with our loving father. So I'm going to give the opportunity this morning. This is fuel up to students as this Lord Father, for anybody who wants to bring this, to bring us, to bring this unto God. God, I am a sinner. Father, God, I am so tired of trying to fill the void of my home. I know that only you can afford what you did. I believe that if I just give my life to you and therefore I am for the bread of life, Father, God, I thank you so much for this Lord. We just love you. We love your word. We love growing in wisdom. We love living for you. Every single action that you do, every single thing we do. God, let it happen for our cause. Let it not be for our glory, but for your glory. Lord, continue to fill us with your truth so we can spread to every single person that's your son's name, that your GREAT AMEN. We I would just like you to worship right now, however, that is whether it's standing, staying seated, just praying, because we have now to draw close to Him. So really, whatever you want to do, whether it's stand, stay seated, kneel in the morning, when in The morning, when I give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. Jesus, give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. I am Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. Us. Come to die, oh, when when I come to Death, come to death. Give me, Jesus. Give me Jesus. Give me Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. Thank you for joining us for more information about three timbers, church ministries and services. Visit three timbers.org, we would love for you to join us in person. You.